SERBIA made it to the finals of the 2023 Fiba Basketball World Cup without arguably the best player not just from their country but in the world: Nikola Jokic.
As much as possible, however, head coach Svetislav Pesic doesn’t want to stick to that narrative rather than put the spotlight on the players that aren't here.
READ: Serbia crushes Canada hopes, reaches Fiba World Cup final
“I don’t know if it is right for me to talk about Jokic,” said Pesic, who guided Yugoslavia to the 2002 World Championship title in Indianapolis. “I can say only once. Jokic is always a part of the team because he is the best player in the world at the moment. Great person.”
“Now, I think it’s not the time to talk too much about Jokic. Now is the time to talk about the players that are here,” said Pesic.
The players that are here definitely showed the world that they can deliver even with Jokic, one of the top players who decided to skip the World Cup after hisr NBA title run with the Denver Nuggets.
Bogdan Bogdanovic, another NBA star, led Serbia’s attack with 23 points to lift Serbia to a 95-86 win and end Canada’s title bid in the World Cup. The team also got 16 points each from Nikola Milutinov and Ognjen Dobric.

“It doesn’t matter who is not here. It’s all about who can play a hundred percent or even more,” said Serbia player Marko Guduric, who had 12 points in the win.
Pesic also noted the entire team’s effort to control Canada’s top guy Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Oklahoma City Thunder star had 15 points and nine rebounds but only took eight shots from the field and two from the foul line.
“I’m very proud of my players, the team, the coaching staff, the medical… For me, the very important point in preparing the game was to take points away from transition. This is the key. Secondly, very good one-on-one defense against Shai,” said Pesic.
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